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Friday, January 22, 2010

Deschutes Brewery is currently serving a gluten-free wit beer. Even better news is that my server informed me last night that they have several different kinds of gluten-free beers that they have been trying out lately. They only have one on tap at a time for obvious practical reasons, but it sounds like they might be rotating them out more frequently now than they were over the summer and fall.

Unlike the previous Deschutes beer that I reviewed here, which I called a wit beer but was probably intended to be a hefeweisen style, this one actually is a wit-style beer. This new wit beer gives the same first impression that most of their gluten-free beers do: the first sip, it tastes like normal beer. Then, you get that subtle hint of the metallic aftertaste that is so common in beers made from sorghum. However, in the Deschutes beers the metallic flavor is usually much more toned down than in, say, Redbridge. This gluten-free wit beer is very good and probably warrants another try. It's always a pleasure to have some variety in my beer consumption - that's hard to come by for the gluten-free.

Oh, and by the way, they also had a tasty gluten-free (crustless) creme brulee cheesecake.

The fruit sauces were almost better than the cake. Mine did not have the decadently smooth and rick texture that I love in a perfectly-cooked cheesecake, but it did have a really good flavor. I loved the burnt-sugar topping. I wish I'd thought of that.

Have you tried the wit beer now pouring at Deschutes or any of the new gluten-free beers they have had on tap recently? Which is your favorite?

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Have you tried these pretzels yet? They are just like regular pretzels, but better.

I don't even like regular pretzels in all their salty blandness. I never sought them out as a snack. Ener-G Wheat-free Pretzels have more flavor than the regular kind, and the texture is just what you're looking for: crisp, dry, and fresh.

Plus, they are gluten-free as well.

Let me know in the comments if you have tried these pretzels, and what you think!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

This one may look fancy, but it was really quite simple. The recipe calls for:

fresh salmon
baby lettuce
olive oil
paprika
dill
salt
pepper

I usually only get salmon when it's on sale and in-season, which makes this dish qualify for my quick and cheap gluten-free meals round-up. I found some good-looking steelhead salmon today for $4.99/lb - a very good deal!

Salmon Paprika

Heat a cast-iron or other heavy skillet on medium-high. Rinse and pat dry:

1/4 to 1/2 pound fresh salmon fillets per person

rub with:

olive oil

Sprinkle the top side of the salmon with:

paprikasaltpepperdill

Place the salmon in the heated skillet, skin-side down. Cook for 2-4 minutes, depending on thickness. The salmon should look like this:

Turn on the broiler and place the skillet on the top shelf of the oven. Broil the top of the salmon until the dill is slightly crispy, another 2-4 minutes. The inside should not be cooked thoroughly; the fish will cook a little more after you take it out of the oven. Serve over a bed of baby greens dressed in salt and olive oil.